(The latest research papers to be published have been collated for the months of January to March 2017. Topics include: Genetics, General PWS, Brain Imaging, Endocrine (including Growth Hormone, Behaviour, Cognition and Mental Health.)

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OXYTOCIN

A press release for April, 2017 about the studies done by Maïthé Tauber et al reads:

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OT4B: a start-up emerging from patients and clinicians to develop oxytocin, a new therapeutic solution for Prader-Willi syndrome

In early 2017, François Besnier, Maïthé Tauber and Jean-Hubert Gallouët laid the foundations for OT4B, a new kind of start-up in the medtech environment. Based on very promising results from clinical studies lead by Professor Maïthé Tauber in patients suffering from Prader-Willi syndrome and patents held by 4 co-inventors including Maïthé Tauber, OT4B mission is to provide families and children suffering from this syndrome a new therapeutic solution by 2020.

Prader-Willi Syndrome

A rare genetic disorder, Prader-Willi syndrome is characterized by neurodevelopmental disorders associated with multiple hormonal deficits. Infants have difficulty sucking, growing (anorexia) and tone disorders (hypotonia). By the age of 2 to 3 years, their feeding behavior is reversed and they develop hyperphagia and food addiction which lead to morbid obesity. Later, these children will suffer from poor social skills and various disorders (behavioral, learning, psychiatric and endocrine). To date, there is no therapy to treat the disease as a whole nor to decrease its progression.

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Oxytocin, a treatment for Prader-Willi syndrome

Since 2006, Maïthé Tauber has been interested in oxytocin in Prader-Willi Syndrome. Two patents were filed by the teams of Françoise Muscatelli and Maïthé Tauber in 2010 and 2016 based on a proof of concept in mice: the neonatal oxytocin administration corrects the sucking disorders, cerebral dysfunctions and behavioral disorders ( Hum., Mol. Genet 2010, Biol., Psych., 2015). The Phase I / II clinical trial with intra-nasal oxytocin in infants with Prader-Willi syndrome leaded by Maïthé Tauber’s team showed that sucking / swallowing disorders and mother-child interactions are improved and identified potential biomarkers (Pediatrics, 2017).

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OT4B, an international vocation

Patents for the use of oxytocin in the indication of Prader-Willi syndrome are, for OT4B, the founding elements of the company. With its scientific and clinical expertise, OT4B wants to make available to the entire Prader-Willi community an innovative therapeutic solution. With this in mind, OT4B will continue its clinical development in France, Europe and the USA and is looking for international partners to reach the market as soon as possible.

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François Besnier

President of OT4B Father of a 46-year-old woman with Prader-Willi syndrome, he and other families initiated the creation in 1996 of the association Prader-Willi France (PWF, now close to 800 members). As a scientific engineer (Mines Paris), he was appointed as scientific and technical director of engineering companies and participated in numerous French and European research projects. Retired since 2007, today he contributes to various working groups on disability set up by the Ministry of Health. OT4B SAS 109, Avenue de Lespinet, FRANCE Toulouse Trade Registry 824 907 612, contact@ot4b.com

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Jean-Hubert Gallouët,

CEO of OT4B As an engineer-economist (Mines and DES Sorbonne), he devoted his professional career to creating and managing of consulting companies in the field of service and financial development in the world (in Europe, Africa and in Asia). Among other companies, in 2005 he created a microfinance network (Advans). Since the partial sale of his businesses, JeanHubert Gallouët, through his investment holding company Galpaco, acts as an entrepreneur and a Business Angel in promising projects.

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Maïthé Tauber,

Scientific Director of OT4B She is pediatrician endocrinologist and professor at the University of Toulouse (PUPH). President of RéPPOP (Prevention and Management of Pediatric Obesity Network) of Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées since 2003, coordinator of the Prader-Willi syndrome center of reference since 2004, she has developed in her pediatric department a specialized unit for the multipdisciplinary management of care for obese patients with Prader-Willi syndrome. She is co-inventor of Oxytocin patents filed in 2010 and 2016.